Andre de Grasse of Canada won the 200m sprint at the 2018 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first man to win a gold medal in this event since 2004. De Grasse is also the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics since 1908.
Andre de Grasse claimed 200m gold at the Tokyo Olympics. De Grasse is a Canadian sprinter, who won his first Olympic medal in 2012.
| Dates: July 23rd to August 8th, Tokyo time: BST +8 |
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Andre de Grasse of Canada earned his first gold and sixth Olympic medal overall in the 200m final, outrunning world champion Noah Lyles in the last 50 meters.
The 26-year-old earned bronze in Sunday’s 100m final in 19.62 seconds, making him the seventh fastest man in history.
Lyles led heading into the fourth quarter, but slowed as De Grasse and second-placed Kenny Bednarek closed up on him.
Erriyon Knighton, 17, came in fourth place with a time of 19.93.
In May, the American youngster smashed Usain Bolt’s world junior record for the race, indicating that he might be its future, but it was De Grasse, who was once the next big thing, who ultimately lived up to his billing as Bolt’s heir apparent.
De Grasse walked to the blocks comfortably, having achieved a personal best 19.73 in Tuesday’s semi-finals.
Lyles cut a stern figure, screaming into the Tokyo sky as he entered the stadium, in contrast to his smiling and clowning.
Lyles took the lead out of the turn, but his advantage was steadily eroded as De Grasse and Bednarek, who were racing side by side in lanes six and seven, came on hard.
In the closing stages of the 200m final, De Grasse (wearing six) and Bednarek (obscured) pass Lyles (three).
In the closing stages of the 200m final, De Grasse (wearing six) and Bednarek (obscured) pass Lyles (three).De Grasse congratulated his partner, American hurdler Nia Ali, on the finish line with a video chat, seeming to shout “finally” throughout their discussion.
Since finishing third behind Bolt in the 2015 World Championships 100m final at the age of 20, he has been tipped as a possible Bolt replacement.
A few months later, he secured a lucrative contract with the same footwear sponsor as Bolt. His development was slowed by hamstring issues, but he bounced back with silver and bronze medals in Doha 2019.
De Grasse stated, “I’ve been waiting for this time, I’ve been working hard for this moment.”
“I can’t believe it’s already 19:06 in the morning. And I’m nearly there, at 19.5.”
Korir continues a Kenyan tradition.
In the 800m, Emmanuel Korir led home countryman Ferguson Rotich to a Kenyan one-two.
Korir, who placed sixth in the Doha 2019 400m final, demonstrated his finishing speed by making a dramatic burst for home around the last bend, clocking one minute 45.06 seconds.
Rotich, the quickest entering the final, was unable to catch up to his countryman and had to settle for silver ahead of Patryk Dobek of Poland.
Donavan Brazier, the American world champion, was unable to compete after failing to qualify in the American trials, while Botswana’s Nijel Amos, the fastest man in the world this year, placed in seventh place.
Kenya has won the men’s 800m at each of the last four Olympics, with Wilfred Bungei winning in Beijing and David Rudisha winning in London and Rio. Rudisha, who is still just 32, has not competed since 2017 due to a series of ailments.
As Chepkoech struggles, Chemutai pounces.
Peruth Chemutai of Uganda won the 3,000m steeplechase, while Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya, the world champion and world record holder, finished eighth.
Chepkoech had complained that she was injured following the heats on Sunday.
After a courageous break, American record holder Courtney Frerichs was ran down on the last lap, earning silver ahead of Kenyan Hyvin Kiyeng in third.
Lizzie Bird, the first British woman to compete in an Olympic final in the event since it was added to the schedule in 2008, finished ninth in 9:19.68, a new British record.
Wojciech Nowicki of Poland, a bronze medalist in Rio and the previous three World Championships, won gold in the hammer event with a throw of 82.52m.
Pawel Fajdek, another of his countrymen, failed to qualify for the Olympics.
The 32-year-old has won the last four world championships and has four of the season’s top five farthest throws.
He could only win bronze in Tokyo after failing to make an impact in London and missing out on the final in Rio, with his throw of 81.53m being defeated by Norway’s Eivind Henriksen.
In sixth place, Nick Miller’s 78.15m was the greatest hammer performance by a British athlete in Olympic history.
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